Photoshop Elements: Frame a Picture

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Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6

January 22, 2008

Photoshop Elements comes with a variety of ready-made frames that you can add to your picture. After you've added the frame, you can access the frame's style settings to change its appearance; for example, you can change the frame color or add a drop shadow.

Frame with Drop Shadow Frame Pair
Single frame example Two frames example

To add frames:

  1. Open the images you want to frame, and then create a new blank image to hold the framed pictures. From the Window menu, select Content. Then, in the Content palette, select By type and Frame from the drop-down lists.
  2. Click-and-drag a frame to the work area. Use the handles on the bounding box to resize the frame and click-and-drag to reposition it. Press Enter or click the Commit button (checkmark) to complete your changes.

  3. Drag a picture from the Project Bin into the frame. Use the slider or the handles on the bounding box to resize the picture or move it around in the frame. Press Enter or click the Commit button (checkmark) to complete your changes.

    Screenshot of frame creation

  4. Click once on the picture to adjust the frame and picture as a unit. Use the handles on the bounding box to resize, rotate or move the unit. For example, rotate the unit at an angle. Press Enter or click the Commit button (checkmark) to complete your changes.
  5. In the Layers palette, double-click the fx symbol on the frame layer. The Style Settings window opens.

  6. In the Style Settings window, adjust frame settings. For example, check Drop Shadow and adjust the sliders to create a drop shadow, or in the Stroke section, click the color swatch to change the color of the frame. Click OK when you are finished.

  7. Repeat steps 2-6 to create additional frames for your image. Each new frame receives its own layer in the Layers palette.

Tips

Frame pop-up menu

Handy Pop-up Menu

To adjust a completed picture or frame, place the cursor on the picture and right-click to display a pop-up menu.

From the pop-up menu, you can replace the photo, reposition the photo in the frame or change the frame's layer style.

Shortcut

To reposition or resize the picture within the frame, double-click on the picture.

Updated on May 24, 2008